KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer was always likely to grow up to be a musician - it's just that the music he ended up making probably wasn't what his family had in mind! His mother was a musician, but her great love was classical music. She was a trained violinist, and an operatic singer. Thayer was only a child when he first picked up a guitar and learned to play it, and by 13 he was regularly playing with local bands in Oregon.
As he got to know the scene around him, traveling far and wide for gigs, he enjoyed some success with his own band Black 'n Blue. Around the same time, he befriended Gene Simmons. There was no room in KISS for him at the time, but Thayer stayed in contact, helping out with the band when he could. Eventually, after years of waiting, a space opened up. Thayer donned the makeup, and became part of the legend.